


The Right Time

by WincestSounds (Cammerel)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, RP, Samulet, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-10
Updated: 2013-04-10
Packaged: 2017-12-08 02:37:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/756004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cammerel/pseuds/WincestSounds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean goes pilfering in Sam’s bags and finds his amulet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Right Time

**Author's Note:**

> Season: 7-9 AU.

Dean liked to think he knew his brother, well enough to be more than aware when something was going on with Sam. Which was why he knew something was up now.

The younger Winchester had been acting ten kinds of crazy since he came back from his two day case; leaving Dean in the motel in Southern Illinois - stewing over a complicated case of Lycanthropy taking place on the next full moon.

Dean, the moment his brother's back was turned, started guiltily going through Sam's things. And, while he didn't find anything completely unusual, or an object of sorts that warranted concern (which was what he'd been expecting), he **did** find the beginning lace of an awfully familiar necklace.

His stomach bottomed out as he pulled the amulet up, eyes wide as he stared at it and swallowed.

Sam had just came out of the shower, towel tucked firmly in place around his hips as he halted, chest tightening up nervously as he saw the amulet dangling from his brother's hand. His own hands clenched by his side as he felt a hot wave of irrational anger course throughout him, making him want to yank the necklace away from the older man, hide it better, tuck it away protectively so he wouldn't have to risk watching Dean throw it away all over again.

"Why in the hell are you going through my stuff?" The younger Winchester questioned shakily as he moved forward, arm extending as he tried to take the amulet away from his brother.

Dean’s brows narrowed as he pulled back and clutched the necklace closer to his chest, “You been actin’ weird, thought I’d see what was goin’ on.” He felt bad for looking for anything in the first place, he shouldn’t have been snooping, and he felt bad for doing it - but considering he’d stumbled upon the necklace, maybe he should’ve done it earlier.

“Why the Hell do you have this?” He asked, his entire fucking soul twisting up around the words. He wasn’t really sure if he was glad to see the little amulet, or completely fucking pissed that Sam had taken it, and then kept it from him this whole time.

Sam's nostrils flared with his brother's question, causing the heat to rise in his cheeks and his eyes to water as he glared at Dean, voice low and angry, "I have it because you threw it away like it was nothing, just a piece of trash - as if **me** giving it to you wasn't reason enough to keep it, even if it didn't do what we needed it to, Dean."

The necklace use to be a permanent fixture on his brother and watching Dean throw it away with disappointment, when it had initially meant so much more to him, was devastating.

"And even if **you** don't regret the decision to just toss it in the garbage, even if it means nothing to you anymore - it does to me," The younger Winchester tried taking it away again, "So just give it back, pretend you didn't see it or something."

Dean put his arms behind his body ans stared into his brother’s eyes as he leaned in, “You kept it, an’ you didn’t tell me. You’ve had it this whole time.”

His brother’s words pushed all kinds of buttons inside of him, making him feel even more guilty about the entire situation - as if it hadn’t been bad enough before. He’d regretted throwing the necklace away the second he’d done it, but Dean Winchester wasn’t someone that just stopped, turned, said ‘oops’, and took it back as if it’d been a bad idea.

He wanted to be upset at Sam for doing it, but the relief was overwhelming, and he didn’t exactly know how to convey it now that the ball was rolling. The little, now useless, object had meant more to him than anything else in the world - besides for Sam. It’d been like leaving the Impala behind, dropping the weight of everything and turning his back on his brother. He’d known it’d upset Sam, what he’d done was stupid, but how could he just say ‘sorry, I take it back’?

"Of course I didn't tell you," Sam said pointedly, close enough for their noses to touch as he tried wrapping his arms around Dean to get the amulet, "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid, you finding it and just throwing it away again - or worse, destroying it completely."

He hadn't been hurting anyone by keeping the necklace, it was a memento that he just liked to hold from time to time, feel the weight of the metal against his fingertips as he remembered the way it dangled from Dean's neck - Dean, who had once been proud of it, protective even, hesitant to lend it to Castiel in the first place.

The older Winchester pressed his lips to Sam’s to quiet him, to try and think as their mouths moved together, as his arms wrapped around his brother’s neck, the amulet clutched tight in his fist.

He wasn’t going to admit that he was wrong, but he wasn’t going to let Sam think that saving it had been the wrong thing to do. What good would come of making his brother feel bad for doing something Dean was glad he’d done - even though he wouldn’t have approved of it at the time? He definitely would’ve now.

He opened his mouth, stealing Sam’s breath and letting out a sharp one of his own. His hands moved down and grabbed at Sam's towel, pulling him in close as he opened his eyes to look at Sam’s face.

Sam rested his palms on Dean's hips and sighed, continually stealing small kisses even though he knew it was all a ruse, "You're trying to distract me," He looked at Dean knowingly and pressed their foreheads together as he murmured softly, no heat to his tone, "I'm still mad at you for going through my stuff and, unless you plan on putting it back on - around your neck where it belongs - then I want it back, Dean. I mean it."

Dean smiled weakly as he brushed their noses together, looking his brother in the eyes as he pulled Sam’s hand up and set the necklace on the larger man’s open palm.

He leaned in and whispered, “Put it on me.” It was a simple response, Dean wasn’t really a man of many words, but he figured Sam got the idea.

Hell, he probably got a lot _more_ than the idea, he probably understood everything, with just those four words. He probably knew that Dean, before, had reached up more often than not, to tug on the necklace, to finger the amulet. He probably knew the ache Dean felt when his fingers found nothing. Or how, on the best of days, he could taste the metal of the amulet in his mouth. Or when they fucked, the older Winchester was hesitant on top at first, until he realized that he didn’t need to be - anymore.

The younger Winchester furrowed his brows curiously, looking at the necklace in his hand and then up to meet Dean's eyes. Sam was silent as he used his other hand to cup his brother's face, leaning in to press a firm kiss to the older man's lips as a way to say 'thank you' and 'this means the world to me'.

He pulled back and met Dean's timid smile with one of his own as he reached up with both hands and lowered the cord around his brother's neck, eyes glinting wetly before brushing his fingertips over the cold metal laying atop Dean's shirt. It was back where it belonged and it felt like someone knocked all the air out of him, causing him to exhale heavily with relief, tentative smile growing wider and warmer the longer he stared at the worn piece of metal.

“I can’t believe you held onto it this whole time,” Dean said, brows raised as he ran his fingers over it and fought back the heavy sigh of relief.

He leaned in, pressing soft, short kisses over his brother’s wet neck, “I didn’t wanna go through your shit, it wasn’t really anythin’ personal. You’ve just been... Actin’ weird lately. I was wonderin’ what the fuck was wrong with you so I searched around. I feel like some kinda stupid woman or some shit, all fanatical lookin’ through thin’s. I’m sorry I did it.” And that was the only thing he felt like was reasonable to apologize for.

"And did it not really occur to you that you could always just ask me what was wrong?" Sam raised an inquisitive brow, still grinning as he leaned in and kissed the corner of his brother's mouth, "Or maybe that I have a **really** good reason for acting so out of it."

He knew he'd been a little frantic and spacey from time to time, trying to get everything perfect and to think of the best way to propose - shit like that is enough to make anyone act a little weird. Not to mention the fact that he was slightly paranoid Dean was going to say 'no', because marriage just wasn't _their_ thing. And every time Sam fiddled with the plain, sterling silver band in his coat pocket, he managed to talk himself out of dropping down to one knee - he was a perfectionist at heart and Dean deserved the best, and whatever moment they were in just never seemed right.

Dean rolled his eyes, “You actually think you woulda told me? Because I don’t. I know for a fact that you’re the master at dodgin’ thin’s you don’t needa be dodgin’. I don’t know, I was gettin’ paranoid an’ worried about what was happenin’.” He swallowed and kissed his brother’s tattoo, closing his eyes as he breathed. He felt even worse that it’d all just been his own unusual unease, and that he’d made up the entire thing in his mind.

Sam cupped the back of Dean's head and held him close, turning his face and kissing the older man's ear. Initially he'd thought that he wanted to do it somewhere semi-public, propose after some grand gesture or something - but feeling the amulet between them, made him think that maybe the timing wouldn't get any better than this.

The younger Winchester pulled back, hand lowering to the nape of his brother's neck, "You really wanna know what's been bothering me?"

Dean looked up at his brother in confusion and felt that same, familiar wrench in his chest as he glanced Sam over, then looked back at the bag he’d been rummaging through. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was worried about what the younger Winchester was going to say.

Normally, when his brother hid something, it wasn’t anything good. He’d learned that one the hard way. There wasn’t really much of a reason to hide something positive from him, and Dean immediately steeled himself in for the worst. If it was what he’d been fearing - which was anything involving some kind of death sentence - he’d be ready for it, no matter what.

“Uh, yeah?” He said weakly, blinking and trying to keep his breathing and heart rate down as his hands tightened on Sam’s waist.

"Then wait right here, and close your eyes," Sam kissed the tip of the older man's nose before moving to his jacket that'd been slung over the back of one of the chairs.

If his nerves were bad before then they were absolutely fucking horrible now, causing his hands to shake as he pulled the ring out of his coat pocket, pad of his thumb brushing over the inscription on the inside that read 'jerk' - a little Easter egg that Dean probably wouldn't find right away.

The younger Winchester moved back to the older man and dropped down to one knee as silently as he could, nervously carding his hand through his hair before clearing his throat, "You can open them and, before you say anything just let me get this out while I still have the balls to do it. I know that marriage isn't really something you ever wanted and I get why, but I feel like we've been doing the same dance for years now and I thought that uh... maybe it was time to change things up a little, take this thing between you and I more seriously. I know it's not conventional and probably not even ideal, but I wanna be with you for the rest of my life, regardless of how short it may be. And I wanna be able to not only call you my best friend and my brother, but my husband too. So, with that being said, will you marry me?"

Dean had both closed and opened his eyes when Sam had told him to, feeling the unusual, nervous tremors pulsing through him as he stared down at his brother. He felt all of the blood inside of him freeze up as Sam spoke, his eyes growing wider and wider until he couldn’t even think straight.

_What? When the fuck had this happened? More importantly - how? Why?_ He felt like he was going to be sick. And if he’d been confused about the amulet, he was completely fucking floored now. He couldn’t even think of what to say, he felt like he was going insane or something, slowly being drawn down under the water as he stared at the ring, and then to his brother’s eyes.

Sam felt like he was on display for the older Winchester, wide open and vulnerable and all Dean was doing was gaping at him, in shock.

He nodded defeatedly and squeezed the ring within his fist as he stood, head lowered as he grabbed his brother's hand and put the ring in his palm, forcing the older man's fingers around it as he risked a timid glance at Dean's face, "You don't have to answer me right now, it's probably best if you don't."

He shook his head and shrugged halfheartedly as he leaned in to kiss his brother chastely on the cheek, "You wanted to know why I've been acting weird, well, this is why. Just... think about it."

“Yeah,” Dean said nervously, looking down at the ring in his hand and moving back to take a seat on the edge of the bed.

He fingered the band with trepidation, feeling his eyes water up and his hands shake as he tried to figure out just what the fuck his brother was thinking by suggesting such a thing. Marriage wasn’t really in the books for him, it never had been. They were both men, and they were brothers, what in there made Sam think that marriage was even remotely possible? And, even if it was, it still wasn’t something Dean could just **do**. _Marriage? Fuck, that was serious._

Sam moved away again and just left Dean to think as he pilfered through his duffle for something to wear, his own thoughts eating away at him as he got dressed. He knew he was taking a gigantic fucking risk with even buying the ring in the first place, actually proposing to Dean was something else entirely - because he knew his brother strayed away from commitment and shunned anything even remotely emotional.

It wasn't small, it was a huge step in their lives and he couldn't necessarily just expect an immediate answer from the older man. What he needed to prepare himself for, though, was the contingency if Dean said 'no'.

The older Winchester kept feeling like he needed to sit down, but he was already, so he settled for laying back instead.

He stared up at the roof and reached up to finger his amulet, his eyes still glassed over as he blinked and listened to Sam getting dressed near by. Sometimes the thought that he and his brother were together was a little hard to swallow, a bit difficult to take in. He hadn’t felt like that in a while, but the realization was dawning on him once more.

He was with Sam, and their relationship was serious. It was full of arguments, but that was normal - it was more intimate than it’d been before; and he could actually hold Sam the way he’d always wanted to. It was also monogamous, they’d agreed to be with one another and one another alone, and it’d stayed comfortably like that from then on; until now. Which was when Sam somehow felt the need to ' _put a ring on it_ ', or something like that.

After getting dressed, Sam moved to the fridge and grabbed two beers before moving back to Dean, joining him on the bed and offering the beer with a wary smile, "Here, figure you need it."

He didn't try laying back next to his brother or try to overstep any sort of boundaries laid out, he just sat still, bottle clasped in his hands as he frowned, "I'm sorry for dropping something like that on you, should've known better. I'll understand if you say 'no'."

“Yeah,” Dean said as he grabbed his own beer and popped off the top. He took a sip, still breathing slow and careful, just incase he drew in too much air and ended up exploding or something. He ran his fingers through his hair, blinking slowly and looking over at his brother, “Why?” He asked finally, voice rough and tight as he fought to keep himself in check.

"Why **not**?" Sam countered and chuckled dryly, leaning forward and pressing his palm to his face as his elbow rested on his knee, "I love you and I know you hate when I say it, but I do - and I know you love me too. This thing between us isn't the same anymore, it's more than either of us anticipated and I think we both know it's not gonna change, and if anything, my feelings for you are only getting stronger. I know you think it's stupid because it's just a piece of paper, but I really like the idea of you being mine... legally. I mean, we're brothers, yeah - but there are always loop holes. If you know you're already gonna say 'no', please just say it, I'm tired of making a fool of myself."

Dean sighed as he listened to his brother, "I don't know what I'm gonna say, okay? This was kinda just dumped on me not two minutes ago an' I'm havin' a hard time breathin'. You can't just ask me to give you some kinda answer right now when neither are even within the vicinity of bein' considered as possibly maybe an answer.”

He turned back to the roof, sipping his beer again and running his finger over the band, “I ever tell you that... One time, when I was younger, I told dad I wanted to marry you?”

Sam slid down to the floor and rested his head back on the mattress, right knee pulled up as he rested his arm on it, "No," He chuckled at the imagery, "Don't think you ever did." It was only slightly reassuring, but the tiny bit of information definitely helped sate his nerves a little.

The younger Winchester sipped his beer idly and pealed the label off the bottle, brows furrowed, "Ironic I suppose."

“I didn’t really understand what marriage entailed then - that it was more about fuckin’ one another an’ multiplyin’ than it was about protectin’ you,” Dean said, voice low and soft as he smiled to himself, “Keepin’ you close an’ safe, bein’ able to be by your side through everythin’ you went through.”

He sat up and polished off his beer, moving to sit by Sam and leaning in close against his brother, “I wish this was easier for me than it is.”

Sam lifted his arm and wrapped it around the back of Dean's shoulders, keeping him close as he nodded, "We don't have to, guess it was kind of stupid to ask even though I knew your opinion on the matter - it's kinda hard to listen to your head when your heart wants something so bad, though."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to his brother's temple, nose brushing the same place, "Sorry I put you on the spot like that."

Dean grabbed his brother’s chin and pulled him down, pressing their lips together and taking Sam’s hands in his own. He deepened the kiss, tilting his head and lacing their fingers together as he finally parted and let out a breath, “I’m not sayin’ 'no', okay, I’m sayin’ it’s... It’s not somethin’ I’ve thought of since I was eight. I need time to think about this.”

"Take all the time you need," Sam whispered against the swell of his brother's lips, eyes flitting up to meet Dean's as he shook his head, "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Regardless of what Dean decided, he knew he'd stay - the way things were weren't bad, not in the slightest.


End file.
